Aussies crash to 492-run defeat... their worst for 90 years!
JuST when it seemed impossible for things to get worse for Australia on their tour of South Africa, they were eviscerated by Vernon Philander on the final morning of the fourth and final Test to lose by an eye-watering 492 runs. The result ranks as Australia’s secondheaviest defeat by runs, their heaviest in 90 years, and the heaviest for any team in Test cricket since 1934. Philander took six for three in 32 balls to end the innings at 119 all out after the tourists had resumed on 88 for three attempting to salvage a draw. Technical deficiencies among the Australians were brutally exposed by the world’s most accurate seamer before the humiliation was completed in just 90 minutes of the final day with an embarrassing run-out. Philander finished with six for 21 and passed 200 Test wickets in the process as South Africa wrapped up a 3-1 series win — their first at home against the Aussies since 1970. Australia’s failure was not surprising following the ball-tampering scandal that blew up in the third Test in Cape Town. It led to bans for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, and prompted coach Darren Lehmann to
step down. The scandal has haunted the remainder of the team since. ‘We’ve had a terrible week with all that has happened but that’s no excuse,’ said new captain Tim Paine. ‘Purely on skill they have completely outplayed us. Philander bowled too well for us and we couldn’t cope.’ Paine said that a new era — and playing ethos — had to be built from scratch. ‘We have the opportunity to go home and start again,’ he added. ‘We’ve got to find a fine line between being really respectful of the opposition and also being at a level that is really competitive.’ Aussie legend Shane Warne put the boot into the Australia set-up, saying: ‘Every position needs to be looked at, from (CEO) James Sutherland down. What’s going on with the coaches? There are some weird and bad techniques among the batsmen. Heads will roll, and rightly so. This has been a disgrace all round. Embarrassing.’